User interface for a market polling and research system

Abstract

The invention may be embodied in a user interface for a dynamic market polling and research system that receives poll definitions and displays real-time progress information and poll results in concise at-a-glance formats. The user interface makes the system intuitively easy non-trained personnel to use, both as poll designers and as poll respondents. The at-a-glance user interface screens for poll participants allows the respondents to easily enroll as pay-per-response participants and to easily answer multiple-choice poll questions on mobile phones and other common user communication devices. The at-a-glance user interface screens for poll designers allow the designers to easily define polls, monitor results in real-time, and view the results on geographic and demographic bases. Taken together, the highly intuitive, easy-to-use, and easy-to-understand poll designer and poll participant user interface screens enable broad enrollment and participation by a much wider audience that conventional polling and market research systems.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dynamic permission-based market polling and research system, comprising:
 a menu-driven respondent registration utility configured to receive demographic information from users registering as poll respondents;   the respondent registration utility further configured to compute and display an earning potential indicator that increases with increasing demographic information received from a registering user to encourage the registering user to enter complete demographic information; and   the market polling and research system configured to use the demographic information to qualify registered respondents to participate in polls in exchange for poll response compensation.   
     
     
         2 . The market polling and research system of  claim 1 , wherein the poll response compensation is paid on a per-response basis. 
     
     
         3 . The market polling and research system of  claim 1 , wherein the menu-driven respondent registration utility further comprises:
 a menu-driven respondent designation utility operable for receiving a designation of a charitable organization to receive a designating respondent's poll response compensation; and   the market polling and research system configured to pay the designating respondent's poll response compensation to the designated charitable organization.   
     
     
         4 . The market polling and research system of  claim 3 , wherein the menu-driven respondent designation utility further comprises a charitable organization selection menu displaying a predefined list of charitable organizations allowing the designation to be entered by selection from the list. 
     
     
         5 . The market polling and research system of  claim 1 , wherein the menu-driven respondent registration utility further comprises a verification code utility configured to:
 send a verification code to a registering respondent by a communication mode separate from the menu-driven respondent registration utility;   receive the verification code entered into the verification code utility; and   complete registration of the registering respondent upon receipt of the verification code into the verification code utility.   
     
     
         6 . The market polling and research system of  claim 1 , further comprising a downloadable mobile app configured to allow registered respondents to receive poll questions and submit poll responses from mobile communication devices. 
     
     
         7 . A dynamic permission-based market polling and research system, comprising:
 a menu-driven poll definition utility configured to receive poll definitions from poll designers;   the market polling and research system configured to communicate polls in accordance with the poll definitions to a plurality of registered respondents, receives poll responses, and display the poll responses; and   the poll definition utility comprising a top-level panel displaying control items corresponding to a three-step process for designing a poll.   
     
     
         8 . The market polling and research system of  claim 7 , wherein the control items corresponding to the three-step process include:
 a first poll definition panel for defining a poll question;   a second poll definition panel for defining demographic criteria of qualified respondents; and   a third poll definition panel for defining ending criteria for the poll.   
     
     
         9 . The market polling and research system of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the first poll definition panel for defining a poll question includes control items for selecting among a plurality of predefined question formats; and   upon user selection of a question format, expands to display a semi-structured panel receiving user entry defining contents of a poll question in the selected question format.   
     
     
         10 . The market polling and research system of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the second poll definition panel for defining a poll question includes a first control item for selecting a demographic definition of qualified poll recipients and a second control item for selecting a geographic definition for the poll.   
     
     
         11 . The market polling and research system of  claim 8 , wherein the third poll definition panel includes a semi-structured panel for entering a maximum number of poll responses and a maximum poll time. 
     
     
         12 . A dynamic permission-based market polling and research system, comprising an in-process poll result reporting utility configured to compute, display and continually update in-process poll results as a poll progresses, wherein the in-process poll results comprise:
 a chart depicting overall poll results; and   a map indicating locations of poll results.   
     
     
         13 . The market polling and research system of  claim 12 , wherein the continually updated in-process poll results further comprise one or more demographic split charts depicting percentages of poll results received by respondents in demographic categories. 
     
     
         14 . The market polling and research system of  claim 12 , further comprising a completed poll result reporting utility configured to compute and display final poll results comprising:
 a chart depicting overall poll results; and   a map indicating locations of poll results.   
     
     
         15 . The market polling and research system of  claim 14 , wherein the final poll results further comprise one or more demographic split charts depicting percentages of poll results received by respondents in demographic categories. 
     
     
         16 . A method for conducting online polls, comprising:
 displaying a menu-driven respondent registration utility configured to receive demographic information from users registering as poll respondents and display an earning potential indicator that increases with increasing demographic information received from a registering user to encourage the registering user to enter complete demographic information;   registering a plurality of poll respondents through the respondent registration utility;   displaying a menu-driven poll definition utility configured to receive poll definitions from a poll designer including a first poll definition panel for defining a poll question, a second poll definition panel for defining demographic criteria of qualified respondents, and a third poll definition panel for defining ending criteria for the poll;   receiving a poll definition through the menu-driven poll definition utility;   determining a group of qualified poll respondents corresponding to the poll definition;   transmitting the poll question to the group of qualified poll respondents;   receiving responses to the poll question from a plurality of the qualified poll respondents;   displaying and continually updating in-process poll results including at least a chart depicting overall poll results and a map indicating locations of poll results while the poll is in progress;   ending the poll in response to determining that determining that at least one of the ending criteria for the poll have been met;   displaying final poll results including at least a chart depicting overall poll results and a map indicating locations of poll results after the poll has ended.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising computing, continually updating and displaying in-process poll results including one or more demographic split charts depicting percentages of poll results received by respondents in demographic categories. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising computing and displaying final poll results including one or more demographic split charts depicting percentages of poll results received by respondents in demographic categories. 
     
     
         19 . A computer storage medium storing non-transitory computer-readable instruction for causing a computer to perform a method comprising:
 displaying a menu-driven respondent registration utility configured to receive demographic information from users registering as poll respondents and display an earning potential indicator that increases with increasing demographic information received from a registering user to encourage the registering user to enter complete demographic information;   registering a plurality of poll respondents through the respondent registration utility;   displaying a menu-driven poll definition utility configured to receive poll definitions from a poll designer including a first poll definition panel for defining a poll question, a second poll definition panel for defining demographic criteria of qualified respondents, and a third poll definition panel for defining ending criteria for the poll;   receiving a poll definition through the menu-driven poll definition utility;   determining a group of qualified poll respondents corresponding to the poll definition;   transmitting the poll question to the group of qualified poll respondents;   receiving responses to the poll question from a plurality of the qualified poll respondents;   displaying and continually updating in-process poll results including at least a chart depicting overall poll results and a map indicating locations of poll results while the poll is in progress;   ending the poll in response to determining that determining that at least one of the ending criteria for the poll have been met;   displaying final poll results including at least a chart depicting overall poll results and a map indicating locations of poll results after the poll has ended.   
     
     
         20 . The computer storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises:
 computing, continually updating and displaying in-process poll results including one or more demographic split charts depicting percentages of poll results received by respondents in demographic categories; and   computing and displaying final poll results including one or more demographic split charts depicting percentages of poll results received by respondents in demographic categories.